Betrayal of Trust

Trust, what a big word that is. Merriam-Webster defines it as: assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something. Or, one in which confidence is placed.

When I choose to trust someone, I like it to be made known that they are going to be someone I can rely on and be confident in to tell things. But, I didn’t make this post titled: Trust. I titled it Betrayal of Trust. So let us see what Merriam-Webster has to say next. Betrayal: To disclose a violation of confidence. Or, to fail or desert in times of need.

Now, if we look at it, both of these definitions has one common word. Confidence. You always hear people tell you that Confidence is Key. If you can’t have confidence, nothing will work. But if you have confidence, and someone leads you astray, or deserts you, have you failed yourself? To help explain further, let me make up a hypothetical story!

Kate decides one day that she wants to smoke. She is under 18, so she knows it is wrong. She doesn’t know what to do. For because of it she makes some horrible decisions. She tells her friend Sam. But Sam never says anything back to her. Instead, Sam tells a mutual adult that both she and Kate know. So instead of addressing the problem with Kate, this mutual adult takes action on Kate’s decisions. Without Kate knowing any of this happened. So long story short, Sam betrayed all of Kate’s trust. Kate no longer has confidence in Sam. Nor trust.

Sometimes Confidence isn’t Key. Trust is. You may be able to trust someone, but in anything, people can throw a fast one. You can just as easily betray as you can trust. Trust is a big thing. Make sure it is with the right people. Not people like Sam who don’t address the problem head on, and go straight to the worst case scenario.

Let us not forget to mention the times when in our hypothetical story, what Sam tells the adult is not what the truth is. Kate trusted Sam to believe her, and trust her with this information. Not only did Sam betray this trust, she spread something that wasn’t true.

Check in with a person about this situation, before you betray their trust. Because chances are, you will lose a friend. And chances are, they won’t just forgive and forget. Think before you act. Address the problem head on. Don’t screw up a good friendship.